The logic of valuing

In: New directions for evaluation: a publication of the American Evaluation Association, Band 2012, Heft 133, S. 17-28

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter outlines the logical infrastructure that makes it possible to claim that one can validate values, both at a general and a context‐specific level, other than by direct deduction from other value premises. To make the argument, the author distinguishes between the logic of valuing and the logic of evaluation, the former being the primary focus of the argument, and analyzes the invalidity of the long‐standing value‐free doctrine in social sciences. The author discusses several ways in which we can establish factual as well as evaluative premises by observation, inference, or definition, that make it possible to infer beyond reasonable doubt to evaluative conclusions. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.